DUNE: Chapter Three Thoughts¶
And so we continue with the reading of Dune.
The Opening Quote¶
We start this time with Irulan quoting St. Alia-of-the-Knife in Maud’Dib, Family Commentaries. Alia’s advice to women is that the tension between sexuality and virginity in youth becomes a “wellspring of cunning and resourcefulness” later in life.
Or, to summarize it crudely: St. Alia the Stabby Who Speaks with the Voice of All her Male and Female Ancestors says, “Blessed are the teases, for they shall inherit the Earth.”
That’s a bit to unpack.
Did Alia ever say that? When would she have said it, and how did Irulan feel about Alia when she included it in Maud’Dib, Family Commentaries? The most interesting interpretation so far has Irulan being some level of unreliable. So, what could be the point of this?
The chapter seems to start with a conversation between Jessica and the Reverend Mother. So, it could be setting up a contrast between the the sexualized advice in the quote and the conversation that is about to occur. At this point, a new reader isn’t aware of who Alia is, so it seems unlikely that too much is intended in having Alia say it. Though, why not put it in Jessica’s mouth instead if Alia isn’t supposed to add anything to it.
Jessica and the Reverend Mother¶
Jessica knows she’s being goaded into anger, yet she still becomes angry.
The plan was for Jessica to bear a daughter, who would then be married to the Harkonnen heir, sealing the breach between the two houses. Jessica sensed the possibility she could bear the Kwisatz Haderach, but that’s not why she had a son. She had a son because Leto wanted a son. She did it for love.
I presume we’re supposed to be in favor of that, and I more or less am.
You are not infallible.
—Lady Jessica to the Reverend Mother
That Jessica and Paul will be fugitives seems like it’s news to Jessica. This raises a question: How much did Jessica and the Bene Gesserit know about the future before she decided to have a son? It seems unlikely that, given the option between Leto surviving and Leto having a son that Jessica would choose Leto having a son. If it were already known that the Harkonnens would topple House Atreides and kill Leto, then Jessica may have even stronger pressure than just his desire for a son. It could be a gift for a love she knows will die.
The race knows its own mortality and fears stagnation of its heredity.
I’m sure the information around CHOAM is important. I don’t have a lot to say about it, though.
In politics, the tripod is the most unstable of all structures.
I suspect truth in that. At least as U.S. politics goes a third party cannot stand. If a new party crossed over into relevance, then one of the other two parties will either join it or fail. That is a planned feature of our system, though. Whether that is universally true, I don’t know. It does seem true, though, since two parties uniting can freeze out the other party.
The Missionaria Protectiva have softened up Arrakis.
Jessica and the Reverend Mother have a caring relationship. The Reverend Mother thinks of Jessica as a daughter. Or, at least that’s what she says. However, it is likely true.
Humans are almost always lonely.
That line doesn’t make a lot of sense if we aren’t supposed to take the human/animal distinction seriously.
Paul’s Dream¶
Paul dreams every night and remember every dream. He also knows which ones are prophetic and which ones aren’t.
We’re introduced to Chani through Paul’s dream. She’s afraid, and she asks him to tell her of his homeworld.
Paul only sees what is happening in the dream. He doesn’t get context with the dream. He doesn’t know why he’s excited or why Chani is afraid. He doesn’t even know that “Usul” is the name she uses for him. This would seem to leave the future open to misinterpretation.
The poem:
Written by Gurney Halleck.
“…tone poem for sad times.”
It’s Jessica who actually says it.
A wind chases the seagulls away.
The fire scorches the seaweed.
Paul remains silent when the Reverend Mother expects him to speak. This contrasts with Piter and, later, Feyd-Rautha. Paul is in control of himself. He is human.
The Reverend Mother, and so likely the Bene Gesserit, don’t actually know anything about the Kwisatz Haderach. Her hints aren’t helpful. They are bringing about a messiah, but don’t know what that means. To reference other pop culture, they are Belloq opening the Ark of the Convenant, thinking that God would do what he wants.
Though, that comes back to the question of purpose. Paul says he has a terrible purpose. If the Bene Gesserit don’t know or are wrong about that purpose, then who is giving Paul that purpose? Is “purpose” here maybe just a stand in for “will cause certain terrible events to occur?”
The way Paul brings up saving his father suggests two possibilities:
He is the voice of truth, and saving his father avoids the jihad,
He isn’t yet mature enough to understand his father can’t be saved.
We’re given a lot of reason to think the Bene Gesserit are mistaken:
Paul says they don’t know anything about the Kwisatz Haderach,
Paul says they don’t know the real reason for the testing,
They couldn’t see that Jessica would have a boy,
They kill children who fail the test,
They classify people as either human or animal.
Yet, Paul doesn’t feel like what she says about Leto is false. Therefore, it’s presumably accurate. If so, the book seems to say the Bene Gesserit are correct that Leto can’t be saved, so there is no message here about the importance of saving good leaders or even a life or anything like that. Leto’s, and likely also Baron Harkonnen’s, death is set. Paul just isn’t ready to see the necessity of it.
What made her so sure?
Presumably, limited prescience made her so sure. We also just saw that if she were wrong, you’d know that, Paul. Though, again, I’m not sure why events get fixed in a way that allows for prescience. Maybe the certainty around this is the problem.
The Reverend Mother’s tears show she does care for Jessica, at least. That gives some answer to the question of why Jessica was allowed to be in a position to choose to have a son. The Bene Gesserit aren’t machines. Their personal feelings play a role in what they do. Jessica was and is trusted because of the Reverend Mother’s love for her. Paul was born because of Jessica’s love for Leto.
Is that what the opening quote was suggesting? The Bene Gesserit think the tension between their sexuality and their virginity gives them wisdom and power, but in he chapter we see that love will bring all of that to nought. I think that’s probably as good a read on it as I’m likely to come up with.
Conclusion¶
I think I leave chapter three with the following questions:
What did Jessica know of the future when she decided to have a son?
Is it possible that Leto and the Baron could have been saved?